Doll with inflated balloon head



April 1953 c. H. GUISCHARD 2,635,386

DOLL WITH INFLATED BALLOON HEAD Filed July 15, 1951 Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a doll with balloon head. It relates particularly to such a doll including means for concealing most of the stem of the balloon in a frontal View of the doll and for maintaining the head approximately upright above the body of the doll when the doll is in standing position.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a doll having a body, a stand therefor disposed behind the body, a union or hinge member securing the stand at its upper part to the upper part of the body, and a balloon with stem, the balloon forming the head of the doll, the stem extending through a hole in the said union and through another hole in the said stand, and the two holes being approximately in line vertically. In one embodiment, the invention comprises a flange portion extending from the lower part of the stand and adapted to engage a stop or to be engaged within a space near the bottom of the body of the doll, so as to establish the spacing of the lower parts of the stand and said body from each other.

The invention Will be illustrated by description in connection with the attached drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the doll and stand as cut from sheet material and also the balloon.

Fig. 2 shows the doll of Fig. 1 after the union portion between the stand and the body of the doll has been bent in hinge-like manner and the balloon has been inserted and inflated.

Fig. 3 shows a side view partly in section of the doll of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the invention, particularly modified means for establishing the position of the lower part of the stand with respect to the lower part of the body.

Fig. 5 shows this same modification, partly broken away for clearness of illustration, at the stage when the spacing member is being engaged in or disengaged from the space between the legs of the body of the doll.

There are shown a doll cut from sheet material such as cardboard with body portion I0, stand 12, provided with hole l4 and a part or union l5 joining the stand integrally to the body portion, this union part being provided with hole 46.

The doll has legs 18 and 20 defining therebetween space 22 and having sheet material turned forwardly in the form of flange-like feet 24 and 28. The balloon 28 has stem 30, valve 32 for use in blowing up or inflating the balloon, and suitably a decorated face portion 33.

In the form shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the doll is in standing position, the balloon stem is en- 2 gaged within the holes I 4 and I6, and the balloon is inflated.

In these Figs. 2, 3 and 4 the flange portion 34,. turned from the stand at approximately a right angle engages elements associated with the lower part, more specifically the legs of the doll, as by stop 36 engaging flange feet 24 and 26 which are continuous with the legs of or otherwise attached to the doll at the lower parts thereof. Stop 36 is made by punching a half round flap in flange 34 which is then turned up to form the stop, In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the flange portion 35 is provided with a tab 40 notched at its sides and engaging the sides of legs l8 and 28 which define therebetween the space 42 of width to receive the tab 40 and cause the inner sides of the legs [8 and 20 to register with and become engaged in the said notches of the tab 40.

The structure described conceals from view from a forward position the means for holding the stem of the balloon. Also the vertical alinement of the holes l4 and 16 cause the balloon to be upright above the body portion when the balloon is inflated and the doll is in standing position. In other words, the holes [4 and I6 establish the direction of extent of the stem 30 of the balloon, this stem when inflated being oversize with respect to the diameters of the holes I4 and 16. The engagement of an element secured to the flange 34 or 35 by the feet 24 and 26 or within the space 42 serves to establish the relative positions or spacing apart of the lower parts of the stand and the body of the doll when the doll is in standing position.

While carboard is preferred as the material for construction of the body portion and stand, it is to be understood that other sheet materials may be used, particularly plastic, thin pressed fiberboard, substantially non-pliable rubber compositions, or the like. When the material of construction is too stifi for bending of the union portion 15, then the material to be used should be scored or provided with hinges, both of which are of conventional type and not shown, at the place of attachment of the upper parts of the body and stand. I prefer, however, to make the union or hinge portion I5 integral with the body portion and stand and simply to bend the construction along the line of union as illustrated at [5 in Fig. 2.

In a modification of the doll, I make the face portion 33 of the balloon of varying thickness, so that the shape and consequently the facial expression of the designs on the balloon undergoes change as inflation proceeds. This unevenness of thickness may be a continuous area in the part indicated generally at 33, tapering out to normal thickness in all directions or may b in the form of strips of rubber composition coated with pressure sensitive adhesive, such strips to be applied by the user of the doll over selected areas of the face portions of the balloon before the balloon is fully inflated. This construction leads also to the formation of distorted or incongruous figures, the exact nature of which depends upon positions of attaching the strips before the inflation is effected.

It will be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of the invention herein chosen for the purpose of illustration which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A'doll comprising a headless body, a stand disposed behind the body, a union securing the stand at the upper part thereof to the upper part of the body, the said union and a part of the stand therebelow being provided with vertically alined holes, a balloon forming a collapsible head of the doll, and a stem for inflation of the balloon, the stem extending through the said holes and, when inflated, being oversize with respect to the said holes, whereby the part of the stem extending through the holes is concealed when the doll is viewed from the front and the engagement of the oversized stem within the vertically ,alined holes, when the doll is in standing position, maintains the stem in approximately vertical position and the attached balloon when indated in upright position above the body of the doll.

2. The doll of claim 1 in which the members constituting the said body and stand are constructed of sheet material, one of the members is provided at a low position thereon with a stop, and the other of the members is provided at a corresponding low position with a part ex- 4 tending towards the said one of the members, for engaging the stop, so that the positions of the body and stand are establishable with respect to each other.

3. The doll of claim 2 in which the said body and stand are integral and the said union consists of material along a line of folding between the body and the stand.

4. The doll of claim 2 in which the body has legs, flanges extending forwardly from lower ends thereof, a flange portion extending from the base of the said stand at an angle to the rest of the stand and forwardly under the said legs when the doll is in standing position, and an element f the flange portion engages at least one of the said flanges so that the positions of the lower parts of the body and stand are established with respect to each other.

5. The doll of claim 1 in which the body has legs defining therebetween a space of predetermined width, a flange portion extending from the said stand, at an angle to the rest of the stand, and forwardly to a position beyond the said legs when the doll is in standing position, and an element of the said flange portion engageable with said legs in the said space, for establishing the positions of the legs and stand with respect to each other.

6. The doll of claim 1 in which a part of the balloon head is decorated to provide a face portion and the face portion is provided with areas of varying thickness, so that changing configuration of the face portion occurs as the inflation of the balloon progresses.

CHARLES H. GUISCHARD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,536,816 Sale May 5, 1925 ,148,290 Cloud Feb. 21, 1939 2,546,144 Bartnick Mar. 27, 1951 2,568,389 Elliot Sept. 18, 1951 

